


The Boy Who Read Words

by AlexNow



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:31:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8742538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexNow/pseuds/AlexNow
Summary: Wonwoo wakes up on his tenth birthday with the ability to see a single word above everyone's head.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another Meanie couple fic. Wow. I hope this one is slightly less shittier than my last one. Thank you for reading and giving it a shot! Please try your best to enjoy.  
> -Alex

 

Words are used in all types of situations. They are powerful things used for the worst or best in order to express what we experience in our thoughts or in reality. They hurt or heal, spread happiness or gloom. Words are terrifying weapons used to deceive and to harm for the benefit of one. Words are a cruel reminder of how we live in a world where only the fittest survive.

Wonwoo learned this the hard way when at age of ten he began seeing words he didn’t particularly welcome. Young and naïve, it wasn’t easy to  find sense of what they were doing there at first, floating atop of every person’s head, but it soon became clear it was a single word that described their best quality in the most straightforward of ways. Honest. Amiable. Diligent. Every person has one of course, and at the tender age of ten when Wonwoo began seeing them he also started viewing the world in a completely different light.

He trusted, he trusted everyone he met because the word floating above each person’s head told him to. Everyone is good, one way or another. All of them have a single adjective that tells him there’s still some worth in them. And so Wonwoo, just a child with interpretations too optimistic for reality, learned that just because everyone has some good doesn’t mean they are void of all evil.

The day of his tenth birthday he was awoken with his family holding a cake below his nose and his family members singing him a birthday song. His mother had ‘Reliable’ in cursive above her head while his father had a single ‘Courageous’ in bold letters. He hadn’t questioned the strange sight in front of him, and instead rubbed his eyes with his fists and thanked them for the pastry.

On their way to a nice restaurant for his birthday breakfast (“Anything you’d like, son!” His father had patted him on the head as he said this) he noticed how everyone had a nice word in different font all around him and decided it was fine. It reminded him the world was a wonderful place, so what was there to complain about? It wasn’t long before he noted how he’s the only person capable of reading them and he thought to himself in childish vocabulary and proud tones: I’ve been blessed with the ability to see the best in people, shouldn’t I try to spread that?

And so in primary school Wonwoo promised himself to always make sure to tell his friends and teachers about that one quality that makes them so unique and worthy of love. Just so they’d spread the good to others in return. He made sure to compliment people and even once, when some boys in his class started picking on the loud yet friendless Seungkwan, Wonwoo stood up and told them to leave him alone. “Seungkwan’s lively!” He had bellowed with a confident tone of voice. (Whatever that means). It was all fun and games and happy living with Wonwoo bearing a superpower and no one to tell him otherwise.

But everything changed a single night when Wonwoo’s dad began hitting his mother.

It’s all blurry memories blocked and hidden in the deepest part of his mind, away from the present and treated as bad nightmares. Recollections not worth remembering where he hid under his covers sobbing as his hands cupped over his mouth to avoid his cries being heard. Words from his mother echo in his head instructing him to not leave his room under any circumstances, no matter what he heard happening.

But that hadn’t been enough to change the fact that he could hear her yelling out in pain as loud noises filled the room. His father calling her all types of nasty names as he fisted at her hair and knocked her unconscious against the living room floor. Shadows that managed to filter into his room that resembled the body of his father kicking a lump on the floor, long after his mother suddenly had gone quiet.

That was the time when Wonwoo realized that his father, the ‘Courageous’ man he always saw him as, wasn’t as amazing as he had thought him to be for being so brave. Iit was then that the floating words began to seem hollow to him compared to the things Wonwoo understood they are all capable of doing.

[It doesn’t matter how ‘Kind’ a person is, he realized, we’re all capable of murder.]

By the time Wonwoo turned eleven and he had learned how to make his own breakfast and lunch after his mother’s passing, he started to get bullied by the kids that once called themselves his ‘friends’ back in his fourth year of elementary school. After school all he could ever see as he curled up into a ball on the ground were disgusted glowers and the words ‘Passionate’, ‘Resourceful’ and ‘Considerate’ turning more and more blurry with every kick they’d deliver. Whether it was because of his tears or over how his eyes grew more and more tired, he had trouble staring up at the boy with the word ‘Understanding’ but never looked away from him until he passed out.

Wonwoo remembers clearly how he lied there on the grass hours later, his entire body still throbbing in pain and clothes soaked in his own blood despite how children don’t bear that much force in the first place. It’s until later that he realizes he had landed on a patch of broken soju bottles, courtesy of drunken teenagers, when he’s collapsed from the kicks.

All too out of nowhere a small hand reached towards him, and upon squinting against the sun he barely made out the soft and plump features of Boo Seungkwan, the kid he once defended months ago. His face, lightened by the bright sun, was almost angelic.

“Are you okay?” He had asked, his eyes wide and staring at the blood-stained glass unblinkingly, disbelief apparent/

Two years passed and Wonwoo had clearly changed by the time he was starting his teenage years. As was obvious by how he was no longer a buoyant child, he who no longer grinned at strangers or told people their best traits to lift their confidence. Instead in his place stood the shell of the dark haired boy whose outlooks of life were too optimistic.

(There is no space in this world for a strangely happy child, he thought wryly.)

Nevertheless, he managed to go through life with only a few bumps and scratches. No longer wore his heart on his sleeve and instead was careful with those he talked to, pretended to feel comfortable around his friends yet never fully trusted them despite their best efforts. Ever stoic and thoughtful yet sometimes open and cheerful enough to make others not question him, Wonwoo managed just fine by never letting those words deceive him ever again.

Abruptly, a pair of snapping fingers pull him out of his reverie and he blinks, snapping his head back in surprise at the proximity of such a violent and quick movement. His eyes shift to look at his best friend sitting next to him (or, well, the person who proclaimed himself to be his best friend without even asking for opinions). Seungkwan, as to be expected, looks irritated.

“Are you listening to me?” He barks, “And are you even going to eat that?”

Seungkwan’s eyes look at the plate of food placed in front of him but Wonwoo doesn’t follow his gaze towards the tart he knows is as whole as when he first ordered it. The other man’s arms are crossed against his chest as he puffs it out and his chin is upturned in aggravation, but Wonwoo thinks that’s just his default position since half his life is spent getting annoyed with people.

The younger man never really changed from when they were children to now. Usually university changes people in how it shoves them into a mold that’s the classic personality that a Seoul boy must be, but Wonwoo’s sort of glad Seungkwan never let the college life get to him. That he’s still as short-tempered as nine years ago.

“What question am I supposed to answer first?” He mutters under his breath, but Seungkwan’s eyes flash so of course that means he heard him. Wonwoo holds back a sigh and breathes out in pain when his friend’s hand swiftly hits him on the back of his head and his nose nearly collides with the table. He sends a fleeting look Seungkwan’s way as he shoves his tart to the side to avoid getting a nose full of custard, in case he ends up doing something to deserve being hit again in the next five minutes.

“Don’t you dare get fresh with me.” Seungkwan warns and wags his fingers in a way so motherly that this time Wonwoo can’t help but rolls his eyes. So much for being ‘Lively ’. Though Seungkwan normally really is obnoxiously energetic, during exams it’s the exact opposite. Wonwoo wonders where the warning was when he received this stupid ability.

(Caution: These words are not always valid.)

“Shouldn’t you be studying for tomorrow’s 9am exam?” Seokmin pipes up, and he only grins widely when Seungkwan’s eyes instantly turn to his face and narrow. Wonwoo’s eyes follow them idly as he picks up his cup of coffee and takes a sip.

“I’m taking a much needed rest right now.” He grits out from between his teeth as if that excuse were enough to defend the fact that he’s been putting off his studies for the entire week. Seokmin’s eyes are dancing in delight.

“Oh, really~? From what? Crying your eyes out while stuffing your face with potato chips?”

“You know you’re an annoying little shit, right?” Seungkwan responds, but doesn’t seem to have the energy or vigor to try and prove the other wrong (not that there was ever any way of doing so). Along with the word ‘Adventurous’, Seokmin’s head bobs.

“Yup!” He replies enthusiastically and he laughs as he reaches for Wonwoo’s tart and pops it into his mouth.

Just then, as Seungkwan is about to respond with his mouth open and ready for an argument, someone approaches their table and Wonwoo feels someone tap his shoulder. When he looks up he sees Hansol sheepishly looking at the ground with his hands stuffed into his jeans. The word ‘Empathetic’ glows above him.

“Uh, sorry to intrude, hyung,” He says, and his cheeks are tinting red as his seniors in age stare up at him.

Seungkwan raises an eyebrow at him, “Wonwoo, who’s the twink?” He asks, and Seokmin gasps at the straightforward question. Wonwoo sends a single glance at Seungkwan, but with his stony eyes a single look from the dark haired boy is usually perceived as a glare. Seungkwan catches this and he simply purses his lips but makes no move to apologize. Hansol is staring at Seungkwan with horror on his features, but no longer any uneasiness. Instead his face of horror looks like a middle aged woman who was caught by surprise by a child uttering a swear word.

“My coworker.” Wonwoo mumbles back, and he leaves the table to head towards the back of the shop to change into his work clothes and begin his shift without any further commentary. As he’s tying his apron with the coffee shop’s name on it as well as his own he catches Hansol passing by, muttering in English something about customers being rude just because they think they’re the only ones with stressful lives.

“Wonwoo, hey! I’m off for the day, so take good care of the register!” Soonyoung ‘Affectionate’ exclaims as he sees Wonwoo approach, and he doesn’t even bother heading towards the rest area at the back before ripping his apron off rather theatrically. Wonwoo blinks.

“I never take the register,” He responds, and then after further thought to clarify he adds, “I make the drinks.” Soonyoung waves him off.

“Oh, Minghao is taking the day off since it’s his girlfriend’s birthday or something so it’s your job for today… and don’t even think about asking Jihoon to do it just because he’s doing his shift with you! You know how much he hates manning the register.” The blonde man shouts, and he laughs sweetly as he leaves to grab his stuff, happy as ever as if he hadn’t just ruined Wonwoo’s entire evening with those simple words. Wonwoo hates having to take people’s orders as opposed to making them, but if there’s one person who hates it more, it’s Jihoon. There’s no way he’ll get him to trade positions.

“Alright, we’re off. See you later, Wonwoo-ssi!” Seokmin says as he waves at him. His hand is wrapped tightly around Seungkwan’s arm as he drags their friend towards the exit with him. Seungkwan is glaring at someone at the back of the shop and Wonwoo shifts his head to see it’s Hansol, who is matching Seungkwan’s glare with his own. Unsurprisingly, his friend and coworker have gotten off to a bad start after just meeting each other.

Nonetheless he raises his arm to wave once at his friends as Seokmin grins at him and yanks Seungkwan’s arm to make the latter follow his lead. All Wonwoo can hear is Seungkwan’s belated, “Bye, Wonwoo!” as the door shuts behind them.

Half an hour Wonwoo is as keen over having to welcome every customer and punch numbers and letters into the keyboard as he was when he first started. In other words, not at all. He remembers the shop manager once telling him he should try to smile more if he wants to keep his job, but for some reason a group of girls that came stumbling in from the cold weather outside turned beet red once he grinned at them. Then proceeded to stutter multiple times, trying to say (at least from what he would infer) ‘Good afternoon’ back. Then one of them accidentally knocked over another customer’s drink onto Wonwoo. And apologized multiple times while her friends stared in horror.

In other words, Wonwoo thinks nothing good could ever come out of him trying to smile.

So with spilled cappuccino on his apron and constant mocking from Jihoon (“Hey, hyung. Might want to flirt with that girl coming in. Who knows. Maybe you’ll end up smelling like passion tea after.”), Wonwoo continues trying to at least attempt to not spit out a terrifying aura that will scare customers away. God knows his face constantly does that by itself.

“Hi, I want an eggnog latte.”

Wonwoo can practically hear Jihoon’s sneer of disgust from behind him where he’s trying to prepare the order but ignores it in favor of looking up to apologize to the customer for not greeting him once he entered the shop. The words are caught in his throat though the moment he looks up. His mouth doesn’t move and he’s left in complete immobility as he stares at the young man in front of him.

The man, for all it’s worth, doesn’t even seem surprised as the side of his mouth twists into an easy grin, “What, am I _that_ handsome?” He asks. Wonwoo doesn’t react to the teasing.

With every second that passes the customer only seems more and more amused, and he even waves a hand in front of Wonwoo’s face as his eyebrows furrow. He is talking to Jihoon -who is watching the entire ordeal with an empty cup in hand- when he says, “Okay, I won’t lie and say I’ve never seen someone react like this when they see me, but this is a whole new level of attraction. I’m flattered, to say the least.”

Jihoon doesn’t respond to the man, simply lifts his arm to throw the plastic cup at his coworker’s head. It bounces off Wonwoo’s head and the pink-haired man says, “Oi, Wonwoo. Snap out of it and take his order already.”

Wonwoo isn’t listening though, because he’s staring at the top of the customer’s head.

And the lack of a word atop it.

 

-

 

The only person who knows about what Wonwoo can see is Seungkwan.

He hadn’t planned to tell anyone, ever, but sometimes things don’t go as planned and from time to time Wonwoo is forced to admit more about himself than he’d like to. That’s how life works. And he hates it.

It was when they were eighteen and close to graduating from high school when it happened. They had been at the third University of the week, checking it out to choose which one in the country they’d decide to go to on the assumption that they are accepted to multiple ones. From Seungkwan’s point of view everything was perfectly fine and dandy, filling the constant silence by pointing at everything around them and commenting on it as he walked close to his best friend. That was up until Wonwoo suddenly started violently shaking and his faced morphed into one of complete misery.

Seungkwan had watched in terror as he saw Wonwoo’s mouth spill with blood due to his habit of biting on the inside of his cheek whenever he feels he can’t control his emotions as the latter sank to his knees with his eyes getting glassy. He’d never seen Wonwoo cry in all the years he’s known him. Not since the time eleven year old Wonwoo curled into himself on the floor, trying to shield himself from the violent limbs coming his way. The fact that this might be a first scares him.

“W-Why is he here? He’s supposed to be gone. _Why is he here?_ ” Wonwoo’s shaky whispers were barely perceptible as he hid his face against his thighs. Seungkwan paid no attention to the curious bystanders and immediately began pushing at Wonwoo’s shoulder.

“Who? Who’s here?” Seungkwan asked, out of any other ideas of what to do, “Wonwoo, who’s here?”

“M-My _dad._ He’s _here_.” Wonwoo responded, voice cracking as his entire body shook. Seungkwan froze.

“Wonwoo, your dad’s _dead._ ” Seungkwan had been trying to reason with the elder boy, something he’s never had to do in the past, and it was quite terrifying considering he never thought Wonwoo was capable of losing his grip of reality. He didn’t know what to _do._ Below them, drops of blood began staining the pavement.

“Courageous. It said ‘Courageous’. Only my father had that word. He’s back.  I just know it. H-He’s _back_ and this time he’ll really try to kill us. I can’t leave my mom alone with him! I c-can’t! Home. I have to get home before him.” Wonwoo shakily stood on his feet and began walking blindly, eyes red and wide. His mouth was smeared red.

“Jeon, what the hell are you talking about!”

Wonwoo’s head snapped to turn back at his friend and his eyes, wild and unlike the calculated gaze he usually gives, met with Seungkwan’s dreadful own. He licked at his lips and swallowed his blood.

“The word. The word was the same as my father’s. No one else has ever had that word.”

 

-

 

Seungkwan’s just as strange as Wonwoo himself. That’s what they discovered that day. He never thought once that Wonwoo was insane, nor suggested to him about going to see a psychiatrist. Instead he shoved him on a bench in the university’s park and left to go buy some food to calm him down, then proceeded to force-feed him.

“Must be exhausting to have to see those things about people every day, even if it’s good qualities. You need all the energy you can get.” Seungkwan had muttered, and Wonwoo just chewed silently, ignored the way sweetness replaced iron.

 

-

 

“What’s up?” When Seungkwan opens the door to his apartment his cheeks are more chubby than usual due to the amount of food stuffed in his mouth. His hand is on the door and there’s a plate full of food cradled to his chest with his other one. Behind him, his roommate is tap dancing while listening to Britney Spears.

When Wonwoo doesn’t respond Seungkwan just rolls his eyes and leaves towards his room. Wonwoo follows behind, closing the door behind him lightly as to not disturb the way Chan is trying quite hard to master the art of jigging to upbeat pop music. His entrance doesn’t go unnoticed, though, and the young man (boy?) yells, “Hello, hyung!”

Wonwoo nods at him in greeting and walks towards the hallway to step into the room where his friend sits on his bed with the plate of dessert beside him. He says, “Can I have a piece of that pie?”

Seungkwan looks up at him from his position, then back down at his phone.

“No.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“What’s up?” Seungkwan asks, and he raises an eyebrows when Wonwoo doesn’t respond, “Yeah, I know you’re not here to visit me from the goodness of your heart and you want something. So what is it?”

“It’s not that I want something.” Wonwoo responds quietly, and looks at the floor while still standing at the entrance of the room.

“Then?”

“I just—I don’t know what to do.” He admits. Seungkwan’s stares at him, his attention immediately caught. Wonwoo never asks for advice. He’s never had to, and if he has he’s simply decided to deal with the situation lone.

“What happened?” He asks, and puts the fork in his hand to the side. Wonwoo presses his lips together.

“Do you think a person as evil as to not have a single good quality exists?” He asks. Seungkwan’s eyes clear in realization.

 

-

 

“Hey, I’m back!”

The second time Wonwoo sees him it’s not as accidental as the first time. His body automatically freezes in fear with being so close to the person without a word and he can’t help but instinctively take a step back. Behind him Minghao wails in pain as his foot is stepped on but Wonwoo doesn’t react and simply keeps his eyes on the customer.

“I was just passing by here when I saw the shop and was like, okay. The stony cashier is probably upset that he didn’t get my number after last time’s episode and is probably worried that he freaked me out so why not go pay him a visit? And, what do you know! You really are here!” He sends Wonwoo a grin as he leans closer. Wonwoo doesn’t respond and simply stares at him. The customer’s shoulders sag.

“Aw, hey. Wonwoo, aren’t you happy to see me? No need to try and play it cool. I promise I won’t think less of you.” Wonwoo at the mention of his name and immediately reaches up to cover his name tag, but it’s too late. The man with the wide grin and no word already knows his workplace and his name. The customer’s starting to look upset and in return Wonwoo is starting to feel sick.

“No? No reaction?” The man prods, and Minghao starts good-naturedly poking at Wonwoo’s arm, “My name’s Mingyu, if that’s any help.” He points at himself and repeats, “Mingyu.” As if Wonwoo were stupid or something of that sort. Given the nature of their reunions and Wonwoo’s reactions to them, he might as well be.

Minghao softly pushes Wonwoo to the side and stands in front of Mingyu, “I’m sorry, what will be your order?” He asks, and Wonwoo disappears into the back. Mingyu watches him go.

 

-

 

“For the last fucking time, _he’s not here._ ” Jihoon snaps, and his hand is worryingly tight around the pen gripped in it. It almost looks like it’ll snap in half with the amount of pressure he’s putting upon the poor object. Mingyu’s eyebrows furrow.

“He was here last week.”

“Yes, I know that. But if I have to explain once more that he quit not long ago I swear to god I will _break your fucking nose._ ”

Mingyu pouts and his overly tall figure looks tiny in an impossible way as he stands in front of his short elder. Rubbing at the back of his neck in distain, he asks, “Does that mean Wonwoo isn’t coming in today?”

“ _Jesus fucking Chri—_ ”

“Language!” A male’s voice yells as he steps out of the back area, sending a warning glare at Jihoon. The latter just rolls his eyes and continues rinsing the blender in the sink.

“Sorry about that. What is it you need?” The young man’s name tag says ‘Seungcheol: Manager’ and Mingyu shrugs begrudgingly.

“I thought Wonwoo would be working, but apparently he’s not here anymore.” He mumbles, and digs the front of his foot into the floor. Seungcheol shakes his head.

“No, I’m sorry. It seems some things came up for him and made him unable to continue working here. I’m sure you’ll find him around, though. He still comes here regularly.” He tells him, and the bell behind Mingyu signals the arrival of some new customers. Mingyu sighs and nods, thanking him before turning around to leave.

Approaching the register with two more people is Wonwoo, who is staring at how his friends are having a heated discussion about one thing or another. Mingyu freezes in his steps and a huge grin takes up his features almost instantly. Wonwoo, feeling a stare on him, turns to the front and his eyes widen once seeing Mingyu there.

“Wonwoo!” Mingyu exclaims happily, and watches as Wonwoo immediately turns around and walks straight out of the coffee shop.

“Wonwoo~!” He doesn’t hesitate before following behind and everyone stares in bemusement as they watch Mingyu chase after Wonwoo who has left his friends standing there in confusion.

“Is anyone else as surprised as me to see that Mr. Serious Face actually has _friends_ aside from those two,” Jihoon points at Seokmin and Seungkwan, “And us?”

Minghao turned to Jihoon with a bewildered face, “Did you actually admit to us being your friends?”

 

-

 

It’s one of those days. The ones where the clouds are gloomy and the air is too cold. It matches perfectly well with Wonwoo’s emotions, and he doesn’t even know why he’s upset. It’s when he’s sitting in the University’s common area [which is just a nice name given to the park at the center of the University grounds] that he lets his eyes close as he leans against a bench. His bag is launched at his feet and his face tilts up. The fluttering leaves of the tree above him give his face strange shadows. It’s the perfect scene taken out from any Korean drama.

He feels strangely tired. Not in the mood to do anything at all. He wants to go home but still has two more days of exams before he could do so, two more days of enduring the knowledge that his mother is living alone before he could go back for the holidays and see the smiling yet tired face of the woman who endured it all for his safety.

Nonetheless, his peacefulness is cut short when he feels someone plop themselves close to him and something set themselves on him. When he opens his eyes and turns his head, his nose touches the tip of the other person who has rested his chin on Wonwoo’s shoulder.

“Hello! Long time no see, admirer!” Mingyu exclaims happily, and Wonwoo doesn’t have the energy to run away like last time. What he simply does is stare, and for once in his lifetime hopes that his looks are enough to scare incomers away. Mingyu’s grin only widens and Wonwoo hold back a sigh. Of course this is the one time it doesn’t work.

He pushes Mingyu off him and grabs his bag, stands up and begins to walk away. Moving his hair out of his face, Wonwoo trudges back to his room. Or, well, he intends to until a hand wraps around his wrist and pulls him back.

“Wait up, Wonwoo! Hyung? Are you older than me?” Mingyu shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts and says, “Anyway, it’s been hard to get a hold of you. How are we going to go on that date?” He shoves something into Wonwoo’s hand and the latter looks down to see a phone.

“Please give me your phone number!”

Wonwoo’s eyebrows furrow and he lightly tugs his arm out of Mingyu’s reach, “Date?”

All at once Mingyu’s eyes widen and his skin tints strongly of red, from his neck to the corners of his ears. He seems at loss for words, unlike anything anyone ever thought he was capable of and he fishmouths a couple times as if about to say something but thinking better of it.

“I— I mean, seeing as you like me so much I wouldn’t mind eating out with you sometime!” Wonwoo’s gaze doesn’t falter. His mouth twitches downwards.

“There’s no need for you to. I don’t see any reason why we should eat out anywhere or why you should keep on trying to speak to me.” He responds, and Mingyu freezes.

“That’s— That’s the first time you said more than one sentence to me.” He responds. Wonwoo can’t help but scoffing and he throws Mingyu’s phone back into the latter’s open pocket of his bag. He chooses to ignore his words when he responds.

“Thanks but I’m fine. Now please leave me alone.” Wonwoo walks away and winces a bit as he feels an odd feeling of guilt, which he should have no reason for feeling. Mingyu’s a dangerous man not to be reckoned with, no matter how lively he acts in front of the public.

Wonwoo doesn’t know what Mingyu, the man without a word, is capable of and he isn’t sticking around to find out.

 

-

 

The world is cruel, but Wonwoo’s friends are crueler.

“I thought it was only going to be us three.” This is what he wants to say, but instead he stands still and doesn’t move at all as he stares down at the young man in front of him, face blank. From beside Mingyu, Jisoo smiles and introduces his friend from one of his lectures.

“I invited him with us since he didn’t have any plans.” He adds, and his expression shows that he hopes they’re okay with it. Of course Jeonghan is, and he politely introduces himself to Mingyu, who snaps out of his trance of shock to respond to the man with long hair.

Jisoo seems to notice he’s acting a lot more antsy than usual but doesn’t seem to question it too much, and he takes Wonwoo’s silence with stride since it’s nothing out of ordinary. On the other hand Wonwoo jumps in place when Jeonghan places a warm hand on his shoulder and the man gives him a dubious look before saying, “Alright, let’s go before we arrive late to the movie.” Mingyu laughs nervously and shoots Wonwoo a look.

“Yeah, lets.”

 

Three hours later, Wonwoo really wonders how he ended up in this situation, seated in a restaurant as Jeonghan goes outside to receive a call and Jisoo leaves to the bathroom with an apology not five minutes later. Wonwoo had gone to great lengths to avoid Mingyu, going as far as to quit his job where he was so comfortable with the people that surrounded him, so of course he doesn’t appreciate the way fate has managed to pull a joke on him and have him seated alone with the second person he’d least wanted to see again.

“Uh, t-the movie was pretty good.” Mingyu utters, and he tries for a grin. His fake enthusiasm has Wonwoo pressing his lips together and looking away. His knee starts jumping under the table and he wonders when Jeonghan and Jisoo will get back.

“It was alright.” Wonwoo murmurs and his stomach tightens, no longer bothering to eat the food in front of him. It’s making him nervous to be so close to Mingyu again in all the worst ways. It’s as if he expects Mingyu to suddenly stab him while laughing maniacally or something of that sort. His mind begins searching routes of escape lest he needs them.

“So, uh. I have a question.” This brings Wonwoo to raise his eyes to meet the younger, and he waits. Mingyu opens his mouth and continues, “Why do you hate me so much?”

Wonwoo’s eyes are widened, and Mingyu silently notices how this is the biggest reaction he’s gotten from the dark-haired man since meeting him, seeing as beforehand all he received was indifference, “What?”

“It’s just, whenever I’m near you seem as if you’re prefer to be burning alive if you had the option and—and I don’t know what I did? Like, what I did wrong?”

Wonwoo is at loss for words so he keeps quiet and he opens his mouth but hesitates. In the end he decides to throw Mingyu a bone and just says. “I don’t hate you.” He doesn’t know why he says it, feels like he’s falling into Mingyu’s careful thought out trap (like an intelligent and handsome villain from all those movies he’s seen, a plan only someone without a word would think of), but then Mingyu grins widely and his eyes shine.

“Awesome. So how about that date?” He asks, and he’s leaning over the table as much as he can. His smile is wide and happy, his hair is getting ruffled slightly from the wind coming from the open window. Wonwoo knows what would be the worst response he could give to this question.

But for some reason, a reason unknown to him, he says it anyway.

“Okay.”

 

-

 

“Stupid! Idiotic! Foolish! Worth being pinched for! In fact, that’s exactly what I’ll do!” Seungkwan does just that and Wonwoo quickly retracts his arm when he feels his friend grab the skin on his forearm painfully. Seungkwan throws his arms in the air, “What have I done wrong in raising you!”

In the kitchen, there’s what seems to be a snort coming from Wonwoo’s roommate.

“It’s nothing. You’re overreacting.” Wonwoo mutters, and refuses to look into Seungkwan’s eyes as he leans on the back of his living room couch. Seungkwan squawks in what seems to be indignation.

“Overreacting?! _Overreacting?!_ ” He shrieks, and the taller man winces, “We’re talking about a man who can be capable of terrible terrible things that we have no idea about! The same guy you were fucking _terrified_ of only a few days ago, may I add. Idiot! You are a fucking idiot!”

From the corner of his eye he sees Jun ‘Fearless’ walk out from the kitchen, eyeing them in amusement, before quietly slipping into his room with a bag of potato chips. Traitor.

“It’ll be fine. I don’t plan on talking to him ever again after.”

Seungkwan narrows his eyes at him, “You better not. I rather not have to watch my best friend get buried six feet under ground after agreeing to go out with a complete maniac.”

Wonwoo is about to say he’s over exaggerating the extent of what could happen on that date, but he decides against it. He’s afraid of how his friend might be right and he rather the last words Seungkwan tells his corpse before the burial not be an ‘I told you so’.

“Either way, that wasn’t the reason I came here in the first place.” He holds up a white bag in one of his hands that he came barging into Mingyu’s dorm with.

“What’s that?” He asks.

“Your stupid fucking ex-coworker bet that I can’t bake,” Seungkwan spits out with a scoff and then shoves the bag into Wonwoo’s confused arms, “Give these to him so I can prove him wrong.” His eyebrows are furrowed in determination and his lips are pressed tight. Wonwoo looks into the bag, then back up and he blinks twice.

“You made Hansol cookies.” He says. It isn’t a question. Seungkwan looks away, his nose high in the air despite the fact that his cheeks are tinging red. Wonwoo didn’t even know they were on speaking terms since first meeting a few days ago.

“Just to prove him wrong. It’s not as if I like him or anything.”

“Give them to him yourself.” Wonwoo responds, and extends the bag back to the younger man. It’s not as if he works there anymore. It’d be the same whether he or his friend go since they usually go visit the coffee shop together and the same amount of times every once in a while. Seungkwan looks affronted.

“No way!”

Wonwoo slowly pulls the bag of cookies back to his side. He eyes Seungkwan warily.

“…Okay then.”

 

-

 

When the time comes, Wonwoo arrives at the place where they had agreed to meet in what could be the most clichéd clothes he could have possibly picked out from his restricted wardrobe (a pea coat and scarf). He doesn’t think too much of it, though, (it’s not as if he did it on purpose) and he shoves his hands into the pockets before burying his nose into the cloth around his neck.

Once seeing Mingyu waiting under a tree, Wonwoo makes his way towards him and tries to ignore the way his heart is wildly beating against his chest. Mingyu turns his head to him and grins, flashing his straight white teeth, “Hey!”

“Hi,” Wonwoo replies back, “I’m sorry if I made you wait long.” He isn’t. Mingyu waves him off.

“Nah, don’t worry. I didn’t get here long ago. Anyway, where should we go first?”

 

-

 

Out of all possible outcomes, Mingyu thinks that the worst one was having such an amazing time with Wonwoo. Sure, he kept inviting the black haired boy because he seemed like such an interesting person despite being reserved (plus, let’s be honest, Wonwoo’s looks definitely caught his attention since being stared at by him at the coffee shop that one day) but Mingyu also knew it was a date with a man he’s had short lived interactions with and a few friends in common.

But, fuck, Mingyu thinks it would have been better if he had just ended up being a terrible date.

These are the thoughts going through his head as he stops what he’s doing and just stares at the man in front of him. At the way Wonwoo’s laughing loudly hand against his hand as if he couldn’t stay up by himself and his grin stretched out across his face in a way that lights up all around him.

Gone is the cold and aloof man he had thought he’d relatively known, and in his place stands one who looks like a fucking model wearing clothes a rich Kpop star would only wear (fuck, is it actually an _Italian_ _brand_?) who cracks awful puns and makes even more dreadful jokes. And crackles at them as if he’d just made himself laugh.

Realizing he’s the only one laughing now Wonwoo quietens and he stares at Mingyu, “What is it? Was that really not funny?”

Fuck, Mingyu known that with the tightening he’s feeling at his stomach at the sight of Wonwoo’s cocked head and what could be the cutest expression ever, he should run and never look back. He grins.

“It really really wasn’t.” He admits. Wonwoo frowns, but doesn’t look upset.

“It was.” He tries.

“Wasn’t.”

“Was.” Comes the immediate reply.

“Wasn—”

“Was.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes, “Childish.”

“You’re one to talk.” Wonwoo mutters under his breath, and doesn’t say anything as Mingyu laces their fingers together with no warning whatsoever. Mingyu remember with regret that they’re nearing the bus station where they’ll part ways after spending all day together. Nightfall has already enveloped the city.

But he’s completed his mission and somehow managed to make Wonwoo smile various times. He knows he should be thankful for just that and not get greedy, but can’t help but wish that they had more time to spare.

 

-

 

Wonwoo stares at his bedroom ceiling that night and he wonders just how bad he’s being deceived.

 

-

 

It’s Friday of the next week and Mingyu’s sitting under a bridge along with his friends in a place that looks like only druggies and runaway criminals would go to. The graffiti surrounding him spell out all types of curse words and rude phrases. He reads them silently.

Around him, they’re talking about fame or something of that sort. As if it’s something attainable to them. But Wonwoo ignores them in favor of staring in amusement at the paragraph near the very top of the wall in front of him where, in very messy handwriting, someone had written down what he is pretty sure are SHINee lyrics.

“But, like. Wouldn’t the easiest way to gain fame be becoming someone who posts videos on youtube of just, like, their lives?”

Jihoon stares at Seungcheol as if what he just said were most possibly the stupidest thing to ever grace his ears, “I’d rather die than become such a useless person to society.”

No one argues with his analogy as a few hum at these words. Instead Soonyoung exclaims, “Famous choreographer!” and then proceeds to highfive Chan, who seconds that apparently. From behind them, leaning against the wall, Minghao and Jun ignore the way the two koreans both turn to raise their fists at them, expecting a fistbump from the pair.

“Chef. You get to eat delicious food from all over the world all the time,” Hansol inputs, “I think that’s the most awesome type of fame.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Seungkwan snaps from beside him, “You’d get fat. Plus, you’d stop enjoying food at one point since you’re so focused on criticizing it.” Hansol turns to glare at him, but Jeonghan interjects before they would begin arguing.

“I don’t know, but I think it’s be great to be become a famous author. Like, maybe even an anonymous one so it doesn’t really affect your day to day life.” Everyone hums at this, not finding it to be half of a bad way to gain fame that way.

“But then what’s the fun in that?” Seokmin asks, and he throws his arm around Jeonghan’s shoulder before pretending to stare into the horizon that seems to be projecting the future in Seokmin’s eyes, “Money but no recognition? Hyung, that’s the life of a rich man full of loneliness.” Jun hits Seokmin on the head at his words but he’s laughing.

“Stop trying to sound so inspirational.” He says between laughs, shaking his head at his friend. Seokin unwraps his arms around Jeonghan’s shoulders, grumbling.

At the front Wonwoo is sitting with his legs crossed in front of the river, playing with a stick he found astray by digging in into the stream and flicking it upwards. His deep voice is trying for a higher one as he quietly sings, “숨 을 곳도 찾지 못해 나는 피하려고 애써봐도, 거부조차 할 수 업는 네개 갇혀버린 나, 사랑이었다면 정말 사랑했던 거라면 내개 이러지는 말아. Her whisper is the Lucifer.”

“Ohhhh! Kpop stars! Why didn’t we think of that sooner?” Soonyoung asks with an enthusiastic grin once hearing him, and he begins jumping in place, “That would be, like, amazing! Imagine all twelve of us in a band.”

“Utter disaster.” Jisoo says with a smile and small laugh, a dead giveaway that he’s actually enjoying the thought.

Chan points at Jeonghan, “Hyung would be main vocals since he sings really nice,” He points at himself, Jun, Minghao and Soonyoung, “We’d be the main performance team, with Soonyoung as our choreographer-and my help of course-. Seungcheol—”

“Quite a large band we would be, don’t you think?” Jihoon cuts in, arms crossed and seeming annoyed with the entire ordeal.

“Yeah, but that’s what would make us more special!” Seokmin responds, eyes blown as he looks at his elder with fascination, probably already getting stuck into his head that they should suddenly start a band from scratch and hope for the best from it, “Plus, with you as our composer I bet we’d be amazing!”

Jihoon scoffs and looks away in irritation but nearly no one misses the way he stands up straighter at the words and even puffs out his chest a bit. There’s even the beginning of crooked smile on his features as tries to cover it up.

“Seungkwan could be, like, that member who does nothing but we love him anyway.” Seokmin adds with a resolved nod. Seungkwan gasps at the verbal attack and he doesn’t hesitate before slamming his fist into the front of his elder friend’s snapback, making it go over his eyes and causing Seokmin to walk around sightlessly and screaming that he’s gone blind.

“I’ll have you know I’m actually a good singer!” He states proudly. Seokmin pauses in his actions of trying to climb into Jun’s arms in pity at himself [“I can’t see anymore, Jun! What will I tell the children?”] and turns around, moves his snapback from over his eyes.

“You can?”

“He can. He’s actually really good.” Hansol adds, and he’s unable to feel the pride from out of his voice, as if Seungkwan’s ability to sing is all thanks to him. Seungkwan’s face immediately begins developing a strangely bright red color. He pushes Hansol away.

“Idiot! Don’t say it like that!” He yells at him.

No one questions aloud how Hansol knows that he can sing before many other people there who have known Seungkwan for much longer than just two weeks but the question is still there.

“I-I’m not the only one who has a cool talent like that!” Seungkwan points an accusing finger at Wonwoo who isn’t even listening in, instead moving his fingers over the current like his hand is a person who can walk over water, ”Wonwoo can rap!”

Wonwoo looks up once hearing his name, confused as his hand pauses over the water. The entire front of his shirt is soaked, “Huh?”

“Yeah but he also makes terrible jokes so let’s not give him enough liberty to crack them during concerts and scare our fans away.” Minghao says, “He’ll just be that quiet and mysterious member who ends up being a complete dork.”

“Like Leo from VIXX!”

“Exactly!”

Minghao stares at his two friends, clearly not on the same page as them, “That wasn’t what I meant.”

“I’ll be Key from SHINee!” Soonyoung yells, hand high in the air.

“Guys, the whole point of being part of a kpop band is to make your own personas, not to copy other people.” Seungcheol tries to reason with them and Jeonghan nods in agreement from beside them as he runs a soft hand through Chan’s hair, trying to calm him down. By the way Chan melts into his elder’s side, it seems to work perfectly well.

Suddenly Jisoo’s phone rings and without hesitation Jeonghan fishes it out from his front pocket and he presses it to his ear without even checking who it’s from. The long haired man says, “Hello?” Jisoo doesn’t even blink, probably too used to this happening.

“Ah, Mingyu. Hello,” Wonwoo tenses once hearing who the call is from. He hadn’t talked with Mingyu since the date. They hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers and Wonwoo refuses to admit he’s upset over it. He’s the one who turned Mingyu down on the offer that one time and he knows it was the right decision to make, “Ah, Joshua? Yeah he’s right here with me.”

Jeonghan hands Jisoo the phone, “It’s for you.” He says, as if the fact that it’s his cellphone weren’t enough proof of that.

“Hey, dude.” Jisoo says into the phone.  No one seems to be paying attention to the call besides Wonwoo, who hasn’t even turned around but his back is tense, “Yeah, yeah. I know, that class was a real pain. It really is worth some celebrating.” He laughs into the phone. Wonwoo is hyper-alert of the call.

“Sorry, I can’t right now. I’m with some friends right now.” Jisoo apologizes to the other person on the line and listens to Mingyu’s response.

Jisoo discreetly turns his gaze to stare at Wonwoo’s hard back as the latter buries his chin into his knees with one arm hugging his legs to his chest and the other tracing patterns into the dirt below them using the same stick, “Yeah, he’s here too.” The American says, “Want to come over?”

 

-

 

Wonwoo has a second date with the man without a word and eyes as bright as the stars.

 

-

 

Mingyu has a date with the man whose eyes were so cold people refused to notice his smile.

 

-

 

“You were a lot more talkative last time.” Mingyu notices aloud, and he tries to reach for Wonwoo’s hand like last time but pauses when the elder flinches away. His hand drops and he frowns.

“I’m just as I was last time.” Wonwoo tries. The expression on Mingyu’s face tells him he’s not buying it and he looks away, regrets the fact that he doesn’t have his scarf this time which could have been of use to cover his face.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Wonwoo isn’t looking at him.  Mingyu stares at the back of his head and hold back the urge to grab Wonwoo’s chin and turns his head back towards him.  Instead he stays silent and look away too out the window at the zooming wall outside.

To anyone passing by their seats in the train, they would have seemed like strangers to one another.

 

-

 

Just before they part ways Mingyu grabs onto Wonwoo’s arm and kisses him harsh and deep and it feels very much as if they’re breaking up by the passion of it even though by now they are hardly more than strangers. Wonwoo squeezes his eyes shut and waits for it to finish. Mingyu feels unable to let go.

But he does and the warmth that had enveloped the skin through his coat that Mingyu had been holding on to makes Wonwoo shiver slightly. He stares at him and Mingyu stares back as he swallows loudly. His skin is glistening with sweat despite the chilly weather.

“I’d like your number,” Mingyu breathes out, voice loud in the silence that envelopes them. It’s past midnight and nearly no one is out, “Also, I’d like to arrange a third date.”

Wonwoo can’t help it, “What are you planning to gain from this?”

He doesn’t know why he asks, but he wants to know. Just how deep has Wonwoo’s mistakes gone? Just how deep will his regrets burrow? Is there anything he could do to reverse it? _Can_ he reverse it? Does he want to? Wonwoo squeezes his fingers into a fist at the last thought.

Mingyu’s dangerous. A dangerous, dangerous man.

“I—” Mingyu pauses, seems lost at the question. He purses his lips and analyzes Wonwoo rather than the question, inquiries what answer Wonwoo is expecting. What answer he’s afraid of getting, “First I want to know why you’re so afraid of me.”

Wonwoo freezes and he steps back, eyes wide. He gets a flashback to when Mingyu asked why he hated him. The question has changed since then, has it?

Mingyu looks at Wonwoo. The student who isn’t the man from the first day, all proud grins and childish manners that rival Mingyu’s own. Instead stands a man with behaviors that tell the world his entire life has been a war in itself, how he just wants it to end.

Mingyu thinks back at meeting Seungkwan for the second time, talking to him for the first. He remembers the distrustful wary eyes he’d given him, and wonders whether it has to do with the way Wonwoo is staring at him this moment.

“Say,” Wonwoo suddenly says, “If you could describe your best quality, what would it be?”

“Best quality?” Mingyu repeats, “I guess I wouldn’t be able to say.”

These are apparently the wrong words of choice, and Wonwoo’s eyes darken.

 

-

 

On their third date they act as if the last one never happened. Wonwoo acted fine, and Mingyu was glad for it. They had fun, competed at the arcade and Mingyu stole another kiss, then a few ones after that. Wonwoo’s laughs between kisses told him he didn’t mind.

Their strange relationship up until now is a rollercoaster unlike any other you’d ever seen. There’s ups and then there’s downs but never really a reason for them. Whenever the rollercoaster goes up, it gives you false security that all the falls are over before it once again drops at an amazing speed.

“Let’s find the nearest Ferris Wheel,” Wonwoo challenges him, fully knowing Mingyu isn’t very fond of them, “And then _go_ on it.” Mingyu scoffs.

“You are _so_ on, Jeon.”

 

-

 

Wonwoo fell in love with the vilest person to ever grace the planet, the one with the crazy dances and bizarre personality. The one with the weird faces and love for animals. The man who is aware of his good looks but has a humble way of expressing himself. A man who’s an expert at deceiving.

Yes. What a dangerous man indeed.

 

-

 

“I think you should end it before someone worse happens.” Seungkwan says one day.

“You think lots of things.” Is Wonwoo’s response.

“I’m being serious here.” It isn’t often you hear Seungkwan’s genuinely somber tone of voice. The one that says ‘Today I’m the voice of reason. The one that’s warning you of the consequences of whatever you’re doing’. Hearing it only tires Wonwoo out.

“I know you are. Thank you for caring.” He responds. Empty words.

“What the fuck do you think you’re even doing?” Seungkwan’s voice isn’t half as annoyed as you’d think. Instead it sounds… sad. Worried. Anxious. Sincere.

“I don’t know.”

Not exactly the most reassuring answer he could have given.

“Stop talking to him. Cut all means of communication,” His voice is sharp, suddenly demanding attention and obedience, “Wonwoo, I know you don’t need me to remind you but I think it’s worth mentioning that even your bastard of a father had a word.”

The dark haired boy freezes. He says, “Yes, I know.”

“Then? What more reasons do you need? Save yourself this one time and stop tragedy before it starts, hyung.”

At this Wonwoo looks at his friend straight in the eyes, “Seungkwan, if I told you Hansol has no word would you have done the same thing?”

At this, Seungkwan has no response.

 

-

 

Mingyu pops his candy into his mouth and uses his now free hand to hit his partner on the head, “If you keep dozing off like that I’ll lose you to the daydream realm.”

Wonwoo blinks a couple times and raises his head, black spots obscuring his sight for a few moments due to the amount of time he spent unintentionally staring at the sun. Mingyu is beaming at him in amusement and Wonwoo grins back.

“Seems like fun. Should we go together?” He asks. Mingyu hums.

“Maybe on our tenth anniversary.” He says, and immediately gets distracted as a butterfly flutters by, going as far as to chase it for a few moments until he trips and nearly flies into the fountain below. Wonwoo doesn’t mention how they’re barely nearing their one year anniversary and walks towards him, stretching his arms behind his head. Summer sure is terrible to Korea.

Above Mingyu’s head suddenly a flash of words begin rushing at an incredible speed. Wonwoo stops and stares at it.

‘Clever’. ‘Unassuming’. ‘Liable’. ‘Truthful’. ‘Patient’. They’re all so fast that he can’t read every single one of them. Then, all at once, a blank space fills the top of his head once more like usual. Mingyu feels the stare and stops dusting at his knees to look over his shoulder.

“What is it?” He asks, confused at the completely shocked looked on Wonwoo’s face.

At the corner of Wonwoo’s eyes tears starts pooling and he can’t do anything but stay in place, staring at the man in front of him who’s face immediately morphs into concern and panic once seeing the hot tears run down his face.

“Wonwoo? Wonwoo! Are you alright?” He asks as he grabs into his boyfriend’s shoulders and begins shaking him, “Why are you suddenly crying? Did I do something? Are you hurt?!”

And Wonwoo doesn’t respond, can barely move as he stares into space with his face getting wetter by the second despite the hot summer day. Because suddenly he gets it. He understands it all and he grins at his lover, tells him it's nothing he should worry about.

 

-

 

Wonwoo fell in love with a man too worthy of many words for one to be chosen, the one man Wonwoo considers to be the biggest threat of all.


End file.
